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Andrew Bogut to miss targeted Dec. 1 return vs Pacers

Despite a targeted Dec. 1 return, all signs point to Warriors center Andrew Bogut not being available until 2013. (Rocky Widner/Getty Images)

Despite reports last weekend from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut would return to action in a Dec. 1 game against the Indiana Pacers, there is now reason to believe that he is still far from being healthy enough to practice, let alone play in a game.

Bogut, who turned 28 today, continues to rehab a lingering ankle injury that traces back to January, and he might not see minutes in a game until next year, according to his Nov. 27 interview with reporters in which he said his ankle is "just not right yet."

Bogut said it was perhaps "stupid" to make his debut with the Warriors on the first game of the season this year; he's never missed a season opener but said he should have sat it out in this case. He ended up playing in four games this season, averaging 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in 18 minutes per game before going back on the shelf.

His shooting ability right now is limited to touch-shots and he can't do a lot to move laterally to create his own shot, he said. The Warriors seem to be faring fine without him, as the team is off to a respectable 8-6 record so far this season. The ankle injury is still at the point where it swells up if he engages in "strenuous activity" for two or three consecutive days. He wouldn't give a timetable for his return, but if history is any indication, he likely won't see a lot of game-action this season; he played in only 12 games last year with the Milwaukee Bucks and has been plagued by injuries since leaving his native Australia for the NBA in 2005.